Tag Archives: tree

Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Forest in Reflected Light, Kern River

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Kern River Forest
“Forest in Reflected Light” — Forest scene along the Kern River in Sequoia National Park, California

In the middle of my August 2008 trans-Sierra backpack trip we spent a morning walking up the 7.5 miles between Kern Hot Springs and Junction Meadow in the upper Kern Canyon. Since I’m fond of higher country I wasn’t expecting too much on this day, but I was happy to encounter a wonderful lighting situation that I’ve seen before in Yosemite and similar valleys: the western canyon walls were in full sunlight and reflecting beautiful, warm, diffuse light across the river into the shaded forest on the east side where I photographed these trees and ferns.

A bit more about this trip. I had previously done this route — the High Sierra Trail — from the western reaches of Sequoia national Park, over the Kaweahs, down into the Kern, the up and over the Sierra Crest with a side trip to Mt. Whitney before exiting at Whitney Portal. This time I went with a group of backpacking friends, and it was wonderful to revisit this landscape.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dogwood Flowers and Branches – Yosemite Valley

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DogwoodFlowersBranches20080427Dogwood Flowers and Branches. Yosemite National Park, California. April 27, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

I photographed these two dogwood flowers and dogwood branches in a dark and shady area of the Yosemite Valley forest last April just as the spring bloom was starting. (With the apparent intent of simplifying photographers’ lives, the tree had fallen over so that the beautiful blooms were mostly right at about waist level… :-)

keywords: California, National Park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, dogwood, flower, blossom, bloom, branch, forest, deep, dark, tree, nature, valley, usa, scenic, travel, stock, petal, white, two

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Evening at Inspiration Point – Yosemite Valley

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Evening at Inspiration Point - Yosemite Valley
Evening at Inspiration Point – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. April 27, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening at Inspiration Point, the original “Valley View” – Yosemite National Park, California.

Another photograph from my late April hike up to Inspiration Point to watch the day end in Yosemite Valley. Inspiration Point is the original “Valley View” that was used before the construction of Wawona Tunnel, when the road out of the Valley followed a different and steeper route. This beautiful spot is a 1.3 mile hike up from the overrun Wawona Tunnel View location, and a million miles away in terms of atmosphere. At Inspiration Point you may experience this sublime scene in solitude rather than accompanied by traffic noise and exhaust fumes.

keywords: California, National Park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, inspiration, point, valley, view, el capitan, half, dome, clouds rest, evening, sunset, tree, forest, oak, sky, light, bridalveil, fall, sentinel, landscape, stock, scenic, travel, usa

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cloud Shadows on North Dome

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Cloud Shadows on North Dome
Cloud Shadows on North Dome. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud shadows cross the face of North Dome in late afternoon light. Mt. Hoffman in the distance. Photographed from Glacier Point.

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, north, dome, cloud, shadow, glacier point, mount hoffman, ridge, mountain, snow, tree, forest, afternoon, light, cliff, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, tenaya canyon